As the 2016 high school football regular season in northeastern Louisiana enters its final week, there’s enough on-field evidence to pose one question.

What is going on in District 2-3A?

A collection of teams once known for pitch and catch now favor black and blue with defense ruling the realm.

Sitting at the top of the district are Carroll, Richwood and Wossman; each with a defense that allows no more than 15 points per game. That kind of suffocating dedication to stopping opponents as these three longtime rivals intertwined in a championship tiebreaker.

If Richwood beat Wossman on Friday night at home in “The Freeze,” the Rams (6-3, 3-1) are outright district champions. A Wossman win and a Carroll loss gives the Wildcats (6-3, 3-1) a share of the title.

Meanwhile, the C-Dogs (7-2, 3-1) wrap up their regular season at Madison after wreaking havoc on the standings by beating Wossman last week.

“It’s going to be a great atmosphere and what more could you ask for than a chance to win the district and go 5-0 at home,” Richwood coach Robert Arvie said.

“Everything worked out for us to get to this point and our kids know what they have a chance to do if they take care of business.”

Arvie had a heart to heart session with his players after Richwood opened district play with a loss to Union Parish — the only time it went down in 2-3A to this point.

The Rams used a 19-14 win over Carroll the next week as a springboard into district contention behind a collection of hard-hitting defenders in linebackers Deione and Deivone Reed and Tron Harris on the d-line.

The emergence of running back Anthony Watson has helped Richwood pair its defense with some ball control. Watson has topped 100 yards rushing six of the last seven games.

Every defense needs a hammer, and Wossman has one at linebacker with senior Charles Ellis, who will also get some short-yardage carries at fullback. Antonio Berry burst onto the season this season to pair a pass rush with Ellis patrolling the middle.

The scenario is simple for coach Dean Smith and the ‘Cats. Win and a piece of the district is theirs. But if they lose, they get nothing.

“You hate to lose to Carroll in a rivalry game but it’s not like Carroll is a terrible team,” Smith said. “We’re fortunate that we still control our own destiny a little bit even though there’s no more margin for error.”

Smith said Richwood’s ability to eat up the clock on offense will force Wossman to take advantage of every possession it gets. The ‘Cats do have a slight advantage in the skill talent department with quarterback Zach Smith and sophomore receiver Jatarrius “Peanut” Turpin.

“It’s always a big game when these two teams get together and we don’t expect anything different this week,” Arvie said.

The dynamics of District 2-3A have changed, but its perception around the state hasn’t.

Carroll remains the highest-ranked team in the LHSAA’s unofficial power rankings at 12, followed by Wossman at 13 and Richwood at 17.

While Friday night remains about rivalries and the district title, that all changes next week in the Class 3A playoffs.

“You can’t just walk around talking about the schedule you played. It’s going to take one of us making a run to get some respect,” Smith said.

“The playoffs are when you put all your problems aside and pull for each other and I think whoever comes out of this district is going to surprise some people.”